New and past episodes of "Days of Our Lives" will be moving exclusively to the streaming platform Peacock beginning Monday, Sept. 12.

NBC will be replacing Days of Our Lives with a new one-hour news program "NBC News Daily." The show will air in the drama's former network time slot.

Peacock will now be the exclusive home of the drama. The historic move will allow viewers to access all episodes in one place. The Emmy Award-winning drama will debut on Peacock daily, available to stream for Peacock Premium subscribers. This includes the Peacock Original "Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem."

“This programming shift benefits both Peacock and NBC and is reflective of our broader strategy to utilize our portfolio to maximize reach and strengthen engagement with viewers,” said Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “With a large percentage of the ‘Days of Our Lives’ audience already watching digitally, this move enables us to build the show’s loyal fanbase on streaming while simultaneously bolstering the network daytime offering with an urgent, live programming opportunity for partners and consumers.”

NBC News Daily will be an hour-long program anchored by NBC News' Kate Snow, Aaron Gilchrist, Vicky Nguyen, and Morgan Radford. The journalists will have up-to-the-minute national and international news. The new show will also be streamed on NBC News NOW and Peacock. It will debut on Sept. 12 across NBC stations.

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MILWAUKEE  — Authorities in Wisconsin continue to investigate after 17 people were injured when a bonfire exploded early Saturday morning in the Town of Maple Grove.

In a news release, the Shawano County Sheriff’s Office said about 30 to 40 people were at the gathering just outside Green Bay when it exploded.

TMJ4 reported people came together to celebrate after the Pulaski High School homecoming football game.

According to the Associated Press, investigators believe the explosion may have occurred after someone rolled a drum filled with diesel fuel into the flames.

The sheriff's office said those who were injured self-transported themselves to local hospitals after the explosion.

On Tuesday, the sheriff's office said they are still looking to talk to witnesses, adding they have no intention of citing people for underage drinking.

"We understand there may be some apprehension for some to meet with us based on the evidence of underage drinking," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "Although underage drinking is something law enforcement agencies take seriously, we can assure you, those who were there, that our detectives do not have intentions on issuing citations for this, as our main focus and concern is gathering the facts of this tragic event."

According to TMJ4, five of the victims are having burns treated at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee.

TMJ4 reported that the Pulaski School District informed the sheriff's office Monday that they won't be allowed to conduct interviews at the schools.

The district said it's cooperating with law enforcement, but it also says its responsibility is to focus on maintaining the educational environment of Pulaski schools, the news outlet reported.

All five are on the fifth floor, which brings some peace to their families, who say they are getting through this together.

Lily Koellner from Brookfield is studying to be a firefighter and EMT. She has serious burns on her face, hands, and legs. She was visiting friends in Pulaski.

Brandon Brzeczkowski will undergo skin graft surgery on Wednesday. His mom, Tammy, says doctors are still trying to make sure he doesn't lose his hands.

With a breathing tube in, he must write what he wants to say. Tammy got a heartbreaking message from him saying, "I want to go home."

Isaac Nelson is also scheduled for his first surgery on Wednesday.

Similar to his friends, he will face many more in the weeks ahead. His mom, Julie, shares that he was able to walk a little and eat for the first time since the bonfire explosion.

Benjamin Van Asten was knocked unconscious when it happened, and his clothes caught on fire. He has burns on over 40% of his body

Kiera Duchateau, the youngest of the kids injured in the incident and being treated in Milwaukee, is a sophomore in high school. She has severe burns on her face, hands, legs, and feet.

"There's just people all over that are trying to reach out and help in any way they can," Mallory Kitchen shared.

There are individual fundraisers for all of these kids, and Kitchen started a collective one.

"When something affects a small town like this, everybody finds out about it very quickly," Kitchen said. "In some of the social media groups, people are like, 'how can we help? What can we do?'"

The money she raises will go to helping those being treated in Milwaukee pay for gas, hotels, and meals. Many of their parents have other children still at home in Pulaski.

"Providing meals for their family still here as these parents are now split between their home and their child that really needs them right now," Kitchen said.

Two young men from Pulaski have been released from the burn unit in Milwaukee and are back home.

They will still be traveling over the next month for skin graph surgeries. One of them said in a post online that he was in a lot of pain.

Katie Crowther at TMJ4 first reported this story.

MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — The Milwaukee Dancing Grannies will perform at the same Wisconsin parade where they tragically lost four members when a driver plowed through the Waukesha parade last year.

Their first holiday parade of the season begins in Racine, where they are set to perform on Saturday.

In a video shared on Facebook Thursday, you can see the grannies smiling and shaking their pom poms as they get into the holiday spirit!

Racine's annual Downtown Racine Holiday Parade will kick off at 5:30 p.m.

The news of the ladies performing again during the winter holiday season comes a year after six people were killed during the Waukesha Christmas Parade when an SUV driven by Darrell Brooks struck them.

The Grannies lost members Ginny Sorenson, Leanna Owen and Tamara Durand, and the husband of another Granny, Bill Hospel.

Submitted

An 8-year-old boy and a 52-year-old woman were also killed, the Associated Press reported.

In October, a jury convicted Brooks of all 76 counts against him. On Thursday, he was sentenced to life in prison.

Despite their pain, the Grannies proceed to dazzle crowds by continuing to dance. The grannies performed for the first time since the tragedy in this year's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Milwaukee.

Just last week, the grannies performed at St. Luke's Medical Center as a thank you to the medical team that saved one of the grannies injured in the attack. 62-year-old Betty Streng suffered a skull fracture and brain bleed.

An emergency brain surgery saved her life just hours after the attack. Hospital staff cheered the group on as they passed by.

WATCH: Dancing Grannies perform for caregivers that saved one of the grannies' life

Dancing Grannies perform for caregivers

The resilient group will lace up their shoes and return to perform in the 2022 Waukesha Christmas Parade on Sunday, Dec. 4.

Below is the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies' Christmas/holiday parade schedule:

• Cudahy: Saturday, Nov. 19, 2 p.m.
• Whitefish Bay: Friday, Nov. 25, 6 p.m.
• Grafton: Saturday, Nov. 26, 11 a.m.
• Burlington: Friday, Dec. 2, 6:30 p.m.
• West Allis: Saturday, Dec. 3, 4:45 p.m.
• Waukesha: Sunday, Dec. 4, 4 p.m.
• Muskego: Saturday, Dec. 10, 4 p.m.

The Milwaukee Dancing Grannies were formed in 1984 and perform in about 25 parades annually from Memorial Day to Christmas.

The grannies practice once a week year-round, with their ages ranging from the early 50s to mid-70s.

Learn more about the parade group on the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies' website.

Madison Goldbeck at TMJ4 first reported this story.

MILWAUKEE — No matter the conditions, rain, wind, or extreme cold, Paul Koepnick has been starting his morning in the waters of Lake Michigan. He's formed this habit over more than 500 consecutive days.

If you happen to pass by Klode Beach in Whitefish Bay around sunrise, you've probably seen him.

So many people are curious that a small group now joins him. Koepnick believes it's not just a great way to jump-start your day.

He said developing the routine provided a pretty robust sense of accomplishment. He's now able to use the cold water as a motivating tool.

"You're training your brain just to jump and go in and do the hard thing," said Koepnick. "And you're going to see yourself push past whatever you thought you were capable of."

Koepnick has learned that cold water can provide him a ripple effect of energy and productivity that lasts the entire day, better than a jolt of java. And when the pandemic hit, it felt like less of an obstacle because he had a coping mechanism in place. "(The pandemic) didn't even phase me," laughed Koepnick. "The practice, when we go in, we're putting ourselves in deliberate fight or flight. And then we're teaching ourselves how to come down from that. How to manage that stress."

He admits he had to learn that kind of control. Koepnick's path to the lake's rocky shoreline began when he hit rock bottom.

"It started at the lowest point in my life where I was homeless, I was living in my car — and I was in a dark place," he said.

Koepnick has launched a 30-day "Cold Water Challenge." He's inviting others to try this out. And you don't have to get into the lake — it can be as simple as taking a cold shower.

He intends that the challenge creates conversation around mental health. Koepnick said the cold water was the catalyst that pulled him out of depression and anxiety and pushed him toward success in his personal life and career.

"Going into an uncomfortable situation every day and pushing yourself outside your comfort zone allows you to grow," he explained.

In 2022 Koepnick wants to begin teaching workshops about cold water immersion, including the science and research attached to using breathwork to control body temperature and muscle movement to re-warm and activate muscles.

You can learn more about that by visiting Koepnick's website and social media pages.

Andrea Albers at TMJ4 first reported this story.

WAUKESHA, Wis. — An 8-year-old boy has died from injuries suffered in Sunday's tragedy at the Waukesha Christmas parade.

Jackson Sparks, 8, passed away Tuesday, according to a post from Life Point Church on Facebook as well as an update shared on a GoFundMe fundraiser.

"This afternoon, our dear Jackson has sadly succumbed to his injuries and passed away," the update reads.

Jackson's brother, Tucker Sparks, 12, continues to heal.

"Tucker, by the grace of God is miraculously recovering from his injuries and will be being discharged home," the update continues.

"Any donation, large or small, is so appreciated and will make a big difference to the Sparks family," the GoFundMe donation page says. "Aaron and Sheri are people of faith, so please continue to lift them and their boys in prayer. Even if you're not able to give, please share their story."

Five other people were killed Sunday when a suspect sped his car into the crowd at the parade. Police identified that suspect as Darrell Brooks, 39, of Milwaukee.

The five other victims who were killed have been identified as Virginia Sorenson, 79, LeAnna Owen, 71, Tamara Durand, 52, Jane Kulich, 42, and Wilhelm Hospel, 81.
Six children are still in critical condition at Children's Wisconsin, the hospital said in an update Tuesday. The conditions of seven more children
range from fair to good.

The hospital says two families were able to take their children home on Monday.

This story was first reported on TMJ4.com.

KENOSHA, Wis. — Hannah Gittings and her boyfriend, Anthony Huber, were in Kenosha protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake on Aug. 25, 2020. That night, Huber was shot and killed.

Gittings is now back in Kenosha awaiting a verdict in the trial of the man who pulled the trigger, 18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse.

Tuesday saw tense moments outside of the Kenosha County Courthouse. For Gittings, it brings back feelings of when she last saw her boyfriend.

"It's been more dramatic than I thought it was going to be. We all knew the trial was coming, obviously," Gittings said.

Rittenhouse's defense team says Huber attacked Rittenhouse with a skateboard, and Rittenhouse killed Huber in self-defense. The prosecution and Gittings said Huber was trying to disarm Rittenhouse.

Gittings said she expected Huber's actions to be more of a focus during the trial.

TMJ4

"I just feel he was so underrepresented in this trial and I don't think that's fair, because what he did was assess an active-shooter situation, and he was just that type of man," Gittings said. "If he could've gotten that gun away, he would've held on to it. I don't think he would've thrown it. But clearly his main goal was to just stop this kid from doing what he just done, which was murdering Joseph Rosenbaum."

Rittenhouse faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety and failure to comply with an emergency order. He faces life in prison if convicted of the intentional homicide count.

This story was originally published by Tony Atkins on Scripps station TMJ4 in Milwaukee.

KENOSHA, Wis. — The judge presiding over the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, Judge Bruce Schroeder, created controversy Thursday afternoon after making a joke about Asian food as the court went into a lunch break.

"I hope the Asian food isn't coming isn't on one of those boats from Long Beach Harbor," Schroeder said as the trial broke for lunch.

The comment appears to have been in reference to supply chain issues at ports in California. Long Beach Harbor is a container port near Los Angeles.

John Yang, the president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC, told CNN that the judge's comments "harm(s) our community and puts us in the crosshairs of microaggressions as well as actual physical violence."

Schroeder's comments come almost two weeks after he dismissed a juror for making a joke about Jacob Blake, whose shooting by a Kenosha police officer sparked the Kenosha protests and unrest.

After learning about what the juror said, Schroeder told the court last week, "I'm going to summarize what I remember, what I was told. He was telling a joke. He told the officer, he made a reference about telling a joke about why did it take seven shots to shoot Jacob Blake. Something to that effect."

"It is clear that the appearance to bias is present, and it would seriously undermine the outcome of the case," Schroeder said as he made his decision to dismiss the juror.

Both the prosecution and the defense agreed with the dismal.

The judge also emerged in national headlines before the trial began when he ruled that prosecutors could not refer to people as victims — including the three people shot by Rittenhouse — before jurors in his Kenosha County courtroom.

Schroeder is currently the longest-serving trial court judge in Wisconsin.

Rittenhouse faces five felony charges stemming from the shooting amid protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. If convicted on one of two first-degree intentional homicide charges, he could face life in prison.

This story was originally published by Scripps station TMJ4 in Milwaukee.

KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis. — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced Friday that approximately 500 troops from the Wisconsin Army National Guard have been authorized to support authorities in Kenosha following the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse.

Members of the National Guard will stage outside Kenosha in a standby status to respond if requested by local law enforcement agencies, officials say. The Rittenhouse trial has entered its final stages.

“We continue to be in close contact with our partners at the local level to ensure the state provides support and resources to help keep the Kenosha community and greater area safe,” said Gov. Evers. “The Kenosha community has been strong, resilient, and has come together through incredibly difficult times these past two years, and that healing is still ongoing. I urge folks who are otherwise not from the area to please respect the community by reconsidering any plans to travel there and encourage those who might choose to assemble and exercise their First Amendment rights to do so safely and peacefully.”

Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, Wisconsin's adjutant general, said the National Guard is ready to support communities during times of need.

“In close coordination with the governor, we have assembled approximately 500 soldiers to help keep the Kenosha community safe, should a request from our local partners come in," Knapp said.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys for Rittenhouse returned to the courthouse without the jury present on Friday to finalize how jurors will be instructed when they get the case next week and begin deliberating.

Jury instructions will be worked out on Friday, and closing arguments are expected on Monday.

This story was originally published by staff at WTMJ.

IXONIA, Wisc. — Officials say an Amazon driver is lucky to be alive after the driver collided with an Amtrak train at a railroad crossing Wednesday.

The delivery van driver was taken to a local hospital for precautionary measures but is expected to be OK.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said a preliminary investigation showed that the Amazon vehicle was heading northbound on River Valley Road around 1:30 p.m. local time when it attempted to cross the tracks.

That's when the train, heading eastbound, struck the vehicle.

"The fact that he came out alive from that was really amazing, I was so happy that he was OK," Ben Bellack said.

For Bellack, it was a typical Wednesday afternoon working from home until he heard what he thought was a gunshot ring out just a few feet outside his window.

TMJ4

"I looked out the window, and I saw that there was half of an Amazon van in the middle of the road," Bellack said.

The other half was wrapped around the front of a nearby train that had come to an emergency stop.

TMJ4

"I grabbed my keys, got in the car, drove down there as quick as I could, expecting — who knows what I was going to see," Bellack said. "I look around, and the guy was in the front seat, and I was like, 'Are you OK?' And he was like, 'Yeah.'"

Amtrak says all 129 passengers and 12 crew members aboard the train are OK.

TMJ4

Pam Avery and her daughter, Tara Truax-Newhousewere, were on their first train ride ever, on their way to Milwaukee to visit family.

"We were going along really well, and all of a sudden we felt a bump and then another little bump, and then we heard the brakes go on," Avery said.

"When stuff was happening, they let us know, so we didn't feel like we were in the dark," Truax-Newhouse said.

After a delay of about four hours, the train was back on its way.

Amtrak said the train is a part of their Empire Builder service. It departed Seattle and Portland on Monday.

This story was originally published by Taylor Lumpkin on Scripps station TMJ4 in Milwaukee.

KENOSHA, Wisc. — The U.S. Department of Justice will not pursue federal criminal, civil rights charges against Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey in the shooting of Jacob Blake last summer.

Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake, who is Black, during a domestic disturbance in Kenosha in August 2020. The shooting left Blake paralyzed from the waist down and sparked several nights of protests.

The U.S. Department of Justice launched its investigation days after the shooting. State prosecutors decided not to file charges against Sheskey in January after the video showed that Blake had been armed with a knife.

The DOJ announced in a statement Friday that federal prosecutors from their Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office reviewed evidence to find out whether Sheskey violated any federal laws.

Their investigation focused on the "application of deprivation of rights under color of law, a federal criminal, civil rights statute that prohibits certain types of official misconduct."

According to the DOJ, evidence included police reports, law enforcement accounts, witness statements, affidavits of witnesses, dispatch logs, physical evidence reports, photographs, and videos of some portions of the incident.

For federal civil rights laws to have been broken, prosecutors must establish beyond a doubt that a police officer intentionally deprived someone of a constitutional right.

"Neither accident, mistake, fear, negligence, nor bad judgment is sufficient to establish a willful federal criminal, civil rights violation," the DOJ stated.

Following their investigation, federal prosecutors concluded insufficient evidence to prove "beyond a reasonable doubt" that Sheskey willfully violated the federal criminal, civil rights statutes.

The review of the shooting of Blake by federal authorities has now concluded, the DOJ said.

TMJ4 Staff and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Zachary Bennett said he decided to go for a walk on the Oak Leaf Trail in Milwaukee for the first time Sunday morning, but when he got back to his car, he noticed two people sitting in the front of it, getting ready to take off.

"Get out of my car right this minute,” Bennett can be heard saying on cell phone video.

He said he couldn't believe what he saw: two young men, one with a screwdriver in hand, trying to steal his 2018 Kia Sportage.

"I started walking toward my car and I saw someone sitting in my seat and thought, 'Is this really happening?'" he recounted.

The two ignored Bennett's demands for them to leave the car.

"It didn't seem like they were really fazed by it. They just kept doing what they were doing,” he said.

TMJ4

What they were doing ended up being a car theft. The two boys got away, ultimately making it about six minutes down the road to the 7300 block of Acacia.

The car was ditched in front of Flores Carissa's house, blocking her driveway. It was found several hours later.

“The engine was still running and it was sitting there with the windows down and everything,” Carissa said.

According to Milwaukee police, there have been more than 7,000 auto thefts this year in the city. That is an average of 29 stolen cars per day.

Milwaukee Police Dept.

Among those, Kia and Hyundai vehicles are by far the most targeted. Each was reported stolen more than 2,600 times this year.

“You are responsible for your child, and if your child is doing something like this, the parent needs to be held accountable,” Bennett said.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Milwaukee police at (414) 935-7242 or Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-TIPS or P3 Tips App to remain anonymous.

This story was originally published by Tony Atkins at WTMJ.

Don Sutton, who played for five Major League Baseball teams over more than two decades, passed away on Tuesday. He was 75.

Sutton's son, Daron, made the announcement on social media, writing that Don passed away in his sleep overnight.

"He worked as hard as anyone I’ve ever known and he treated those he encountered with great respect...and he took me to work a lot. For all these things, I am very grateful. Rest In Peace," Daron Sutton wrote.

Don Sutton first pitched for the L.A. Dodgers in 1966, and then joined the Astros in 1981. In 1982, Sutton was sent to the Milwaukee Brewers and then to the Oakland Athletics in 1985, before returning to the Dodgers in 1988.

Sutton retired in 1989 to start his broadcasting career as a commentator.

Jon Greenburg, the president of the Milwaukee Admirals Hockey Club and former media director for the Brewers, tweeted Tuesday that Don took him under his wing when he started as a batboy in 1984.

"I am deeply saddened by the news of Don Sutton's passing," Greenburg writes. "He took care of me and was always so kind to me. This one gets me. My deepest condolences to the Sutton family."

This story originally reported by Jackson Danbeck on TMJ4.com.

WAUKESHA, Wisc. — One of the teenagers in the Slenderman case will be allowed a conditional release from a mental institution after a Waukesha County judge's ruling on Thursday.

19-year-old Anissa Weier will serve the rest of her 25-year sentence away from Winnebago Mental Health Institute as long as there are no violations to a plan that has yet to be approved by the court.

TMJ4

"The court does not find that there is clear and convincing evidence that Miss Weier poses a significant threat of bodily harm to herself or others or serious property damage," Judge Michael Bohren said.

Weier had spent the last few years at the institution after being convicted in the near-fatal stabbing of Payton Leutner when they were both 12 years old.

Weier and Morgan Geyser said they did it to please the fictional character Slenderman.

TMJ4

Prosecutors have argued against the release, saying that Weier is a danger to others.

The judge noted court-appointed health professionals evaluated Weier and recommended approving her conditional release.

"What I saw through all of the reports was that Miss Weier followed all of the rules at Winnebago. She never lied. She was honest. There was no deception in her comments to the treatment personnel. She was cooperative. She expressed understanding of the offense, and that's throughout all of the reports," Judge Bohren said.

TMJ4

Weier's attorney said the 19-year-old was happy about the news.

"She wants to make sure she continues improving, and moving forward, and gaining more insight and getting to a great place of health. She knew remaining at the institution while they would continue to support her and do all of the work that they have done with her for the years, that her needs are such they can be better met in the community now," said attorney Maura McMahon.

Weier will remain at the mental health facility until a treatment and life plan are finalized and approved by the judge. Her next court date is Sept. 10.

“Our family has worked very closely with the Waukesha District Attorney’s office throughout this process, and we are aware of the pending conditional release," the victim's parents, Stacie and Joe Leutner said. "The Department of Health Services will prepare a plan, and we will then have the opportunity to review the details of that plan. Through this entire ordeal – we have continued to place Payton’s safety and the safety of the community as our top priorities, and those priorities will not change.”

Mary Jo Ola at TMJ4 first reported this story.

SHOREWOOD, Wisc. — In Shorewood, Wisconsin, residents who need a tool, a tent, or maybe some gardening equipment can pull from a growing virtual shed shared among neighbors.

Scott Yanoff started the Shorewood Shed about a year ago.

"I'd been thinking about a power washer, and I was probably going to rent it, and I thought somebody must have a power washer. How would I find out how somebody has that?" Yanoff said.

Yanoff built a website and started the shed by offering his tools and resources. Since then, the shed has grown among neighbors offering more than 150 items to loan.

The website brings together residents who are happy to loan items with those looking to borrow. Yanoff said it's called "crowdlending."

TMJ4

"Our most popular category would be tools, so that would be things like hand tools. There’s a lot of saws in there, a lot of lawn and garden equipment, medical equipment, recreation equipment. There are board games in there," Yanoff said.

Residents visit the site, see if the item they need is listed and contact the neighbor over email or Facebook. Anyone can offer an item to loan.

"Before I go onto Amazon, I literally just check the Shorewood Shed to see if it’s available for us before I buy anything," said resident Caroline Kreitlow.

Kreitlow first heard about the shed on Facebook and found it useful several times, most recently when she needed a jigsaw.

"Not only is it nice to save money, but it builds community. It’s really nice because Shorewood's only one square mile, and it’s really nice to just show up at someone’s house I’ve never met before and be like, 'Oh, you’re my neighbor! Thanks for borrowing me this,'" Kreitlow said.

Another benefit to the shed is sustainability.

"If you can borrow an item instead of buying it, you’re not adding to the consumerist society where you’re creating something that eventually becomes a product that’s thrown away," said Yanoff.

"Just return it when you’re done, and everybody’s really respectful about it. It’s a really nice thing to have," said Kreitlow.

About one year into it, Yanoff said he hopes the shed continues to grow.

"I would just encourage people to examine the website even if they don’t live in Shorewood because it could be a model that I'd be willing to help others within other parts of this community," said Yanoff.

Mary Jo Ola at TMJ4 first reported this story.

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — More than a century and a half after African Americans broke the chains of enslavement, breaking down the strains of DNA to figure out where they come from is filled with roadblocks, making it difficult to trace their ancestry.

“I don’t know who my great-grandmother’s mother was,” said Angela Mallet, an herbalist in Wisconsin. “There are roadblocks there and you can’t go any further because there is nobody who would know.”

Mallet has taken a special interest in tracing back her roots. It’s important for her to know where her family comes from so she can better understand how their lived experiences can impact her life today.

TMJ4 News

“We’re charged with looking at the challenges that may come from trauma that was passed down generationally and focusing on how we can overcome those things or change that energy that may be negative, into something positive so we can hand down something different to our children to help them evolve into better humans and people,” Mallet said. “So, it not only affects their families but their communities, their cities, their nations.”

Mallet knows her family came to Milwaukee from Mississippi. She was even able to locate her great-great-grandmother on her dad’s side at a gravesite in Mississippi. She was born in 1878.

Angela Mallet

However, due to the transatlantic slave trade and American slavery in general, there are very few records to tell her more.

“My grandfather, T.C. Mallet, was part of the great migration,” Mallet said. “The record-keeping and census taking in the South was definitely not accurately reported in a lot of communities where African Americans lived. My mother’s father knew his mother but did not have a large awareness of who his father was. He hears his father is a particular person but never met him or had a large engagement with him.”

Map showing the Great Migration from south to north

The Great Migration brought some 400,000 African Americans to the Midwest between 1916 and 1918 to cities like Chicago, Detroit, and Milwaukee. In 100 years, the African American population in Milwaukee went from 106 in 1860 to 62,458 in 1960.

Through the number of genealogy sites available, almost anyone can open up an account and figure out who their great-great-grandparents are with the click of a few buttons. While most white Americans can look back and find pride because their ancestors fought in the wars that freed the country, people like Angela Mallet are left with a melancholy moment of reflection.

Her relatives were brought here against their will; losing their language, their culture, and their freedom.

“The things that challenge my being, I’m not aware of where they come from,” Mallet said. “I absolutely love my full lips as an African American woman. I’ve come to love my nose. The features that make me a Black woman, right? But [my ancestors] were stripped of their language, the foods they ate, moving to a whole different climate zone. They lost dances, religion, spiritual practices. All of that was stripped from them. It makes figuring out what my job is and what my lessons are here on planet earth very difficult.”

“We have the brick wall of all brick walls,” Nick Sheedy said. “That’s slavery.”

Finding Your Roots

Sheedy is the Lead Genealogist for the PBS series, “Finding Your Roots” hosted by Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. The show helps trace the lineage of several famous and well-known people. Sheedy says they’ve had the most difficulty with guests of African American ancestry.

“For most African American families, we can trace them back to the 1870 U.S. Census. Occasionally, we will find a few earlier records after the Civil War, but the 1870 Federal Census is the first nationwide census on which all African Americans would have been listed by name. You get ages, birthplaces, family groups.”

All of that information provides a trove of hints to who came before them. The problem is, getting back to 1870 can be difficult. Remember, Mallet’s oldest relative she can find, from a gravestone, was born in 1878.

“Anybody doing this work needs to have enough information to get back to the 1940 Census,” Sheedy said. “Once you get back to the 1940 Census, you can find your family, and then you’ll get some information. Hopefully, you can find the 1930 Census and it gives you ages which allows you to estimate birth dates. Then, birthplaces of parents. So now, you can start profiling the family and go back to 1920, 1910, 1900, and so on.”

Angela on learning about ancestors through word of mouth

Sheedy suggests starting small. Ask questions of any living family members. The older, the better.

“Ask a great aunt, an older cousin,” Sheedy said. “We will often ask our guests’ relatives. Maybe our guest doesn’t know some of this stuff but their parents may be living, so we get as much information as we can from the family. What does the family remember? That gives us a place to start.”

Critical information to continuing the path are names, dates, and places. So, Sheedy suggests finding out where someone lived and when they lived there. Important documents, which aren’t publicly available in all states, are birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, military draft cards, wills, estate inventories. All of these can have nuggets of information to connect and confirm ancestors.

Strategy for African Americans

But because African Americans were viewed and treated as less than human, these records can be harder to come by as time goes on.

“The brick wall for African Americans is Emancipation,” Sheedy said. “At that point, you really have to scratch back another generation or two into the slavery era. I would estimate, I’m only successful 20 to 25 percent of the time to identify the last slave owners. That’s really what you need to do in order to delve into the slave research. All of the slavery records are going to be filed under the slave owners' names. If you don’t know who you’re looking for, that’s very, very difficult.”

Very difficult, but not impossible. During an episode of "Finding Your Roots," Sheedy's team was able to trace back the family history of musician Ahmir Thompson, better known as Questlove, to the ship his enslaved ancestors were brought to America on. The drummer for the hip-hop band The Roots was able to see a photo of his oldest known ancestor on the show.

Because slave records may or may not include names, it can be a frustrating venture with no gratification.

“Oftentimes, you’re looking for a record that doesn’t exist,” Sheedy said. “So you never know, when you get into the slave era, whether you’re going to find anything or not. It’s not because, oh, it’s just too hard to find it. It just may not exist. That is the disappointing aspect for African American research because your paper trail runs out so quickly.”

The information Sheedy gets isn't hidden somewhere or in an area he has exclusive access to. Sheedy suggests tapping into several websites online:

Sheedy says, in addition to the aforementioned documents to search through, he suggests looking up The Freedmen’s Bureau Records once an African American person has been able to trace their lineage back to the slavery era.

The National Archives

It’s something Mallet is excited to dive into now that she knows it exists. As she restocks her shop, HoneyBee Sage & Wellness, an apothecary near 92nd and Lisbon in Milwaukee, Mallet can’t help but wonder if her career choice is in her blood.

“I’m an herbalist,” Mallet said. “I’m a healer in the sense of, I’ve taken my own personal journey of healing and I share information I have to help people in their journeys of life.”

Mallet feels this didn’t happen by accident. As a child, she told her father she wanted to be a doctor. While she didn’t go that route, the inherent urge to help people remained. She became a massage therapist but felt there was more she could do.

“My great-great-uncle, Uncle Buddy,” Mallet said with a smile on her face. “Gertrude Horton was his name and he was a root doctor in Mississippi. My grandmother told me, she would walk with him to the mailbox to get mail and he’d always have letters saying thank you with money for an herbal remedy or writing in faith with money inside to give them something that would heal them.”

For Mallet, she says that innate gift is something she sees in her shop from people who come into her shop looking for help. She’ll often let them look around before she makes any suggestions. Mallet says someone once came in for indigestion and pointed to a specific herb asking what it was for. Lo and behold, it was something Mallet would have suggested for the ailment. She feels there is something inside everyone that is transferred down from generation to generation. While she isn’t sure she’ll ever know exactly where her ancestors came from in Sub-Saharan Africa, knowing as much about her past could satisfy her curiosity about why she operates the way she does.

Angela understanding who we come from versus where we come from

“There was no training for Uncle Buddy to do this,” Mallet said. “That DNA has expressed in me and now I’m doing the work. Having that knowledge helped me do that more confidently as opposed to linking up with a clinical herbalist, perhaps a white person, gone to school and learned things that would negate my being and my sense of purpose because I didn’t go through that channel. But it’s in me. It’s something I have known. It’s part of who I am.”

She also thinks this could help her identify some of the issues present in her and the lives of other people of color as a result of systemic racism.

African Americans frequently are atop the wrong lists for health issues: higher rates of bad cholesterol, high blood pressure, cancer, obesity, asthma and more.

There are well-documented reasons for how societal pressures have added to these health deficiencies: from redlining, poor schooling, food deserts and others. But Mallet feels, if she knew how something impacted her ancestors, it may help her to break the cycle.

“It speaks about how certain genes are expressed, given certain circumstances or conditions,” Mallet said. “It’s not that you necessarily inherit blood pressure issues because your dad, great grandparents, great-great-grandparents had it. If you know the conditions that lended itself towards this expression, this genetic expression, you have information and tools you need to do something differently. If your grandfather was raised by his father and they ate the same food, lived under similar conditions, you may have a propensity because of DNA. But if you don’t understand the lifestyles and things that happened that led to those expression of genes, whether disease or blood pressure or anxiety or mental health issues, how do you know how to avoid the things that trigger this expression? DNA loads the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger.”

The conversation has reinvigorated Mallet’s efforts towards finding her own roots. While she knows there are no guarantees she’ll be able to trace all the way back to Africa, she’s excited for the journey and what she could find.

Angela doing work that's in her blood

“It would give me such a sense of pride,” Mallet said. “Such a sense of being, of purpose. I think that’s necessary for human beings to thrive.”

Inevitably, Sheedy says the paper trail of documents will run out. He suggests using social media to help. Searching for genealogy groups on social media sites can yield helpful tips the amateur genealogist hasn’t thought of yet. The help from everyone could be the difference in Mallet passing down a history of enslavement trauma to another generation or stopping it in its tracks.

“If you don’t know your heritage, you don’t know things that happened,” Mallet said. “It could be the difference between whether or not you can evolve beyond the trauma so your children have a different experience in America. We’re talking 150 years later as we approach Juneteenth. It should be a national celebration of the last liberation of slaves in Galveston. But what happened 400 plus years before that? When you don’t have that information, you don’t really know what’s enslaving your mind and your mentality. So you keep moving in ways that keep you in a perpetual state of suffering and slavery. You don’t even know how or why you’re doing it.”

This story was originally published by Shaun Gallagher at WTMJ.

KENOSHA, Wis. (WTMJ) -- The Kenosha, Wisconsin police officer who shot Jacob Blake last summer has returned to active duty.

Rusten Sheskey has been on administrative leave since August of 2020, when he shot Blake seven times during a domestic call in Kenosha. He will return to active duty without discipline, the police department announced Tuesday.

Following an investigation from an outside agency, Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley decided to not file criminal charges against Sheskey, citing a lack of evidence showing the officer broke the law.

Blake remains in recovery at home, after injuries temporarily left him paralyzed from the waist down.

In a statement Tuesday, Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis announced Sheskey had returned from administrative duty on March 31.

"Although this incident has been reviewed at multiple levels, I know that some will not be pleased with the outcome; however, given the facts, the only lawful and appropriate decision was made," Miskinis said in the statement.

The announcement comes two weeks after Blake's attorneys filed a federal lawsuit against Sheskey.

Sheskey was responding to a domestic call last August when he says he thought Blake was reaching for a knife, and could harm a child. That's when Sheskey opened fire, hitting Blake seven times in the back.

Blake and his legal team argue in the lawsuit that Officer Sheskey used excessive force, as a number of women and children were standing close by. Blake is represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, attorney Patrick A. Salvi II of Salvi Schostok and Pritchard, and attorney B’Ivory LaMarr of The LaMarr Firm, PLLC.

Two Wisconsin activist groups, Leaders of Kenosha and Wisconsin Working Families Party, issued a joint statement in response to Tuesday's update.

“The decision to put Rusten Sheskey back on our streets isn’t a slap in the face. It’s seven shots in the back of every Black and brown person in Kenosha, and the message is clear: your lives aren’t worth the effort," said Justin Blake and the Leaders of Kenosha. "For years, people in power have let outdated laws and piecemeal solutions prop up America’s racist culture of policing. President Biden promised the Blake family and Black and brown families across the country that he’d take bold action in his first 100 days. We expect him to end his silence on this and other recent police murders, and take action now."

“It’s not lost on anyone why Rusten Sheskey is walking free a day after Twin Cities police murdered Daunte Wright, or two weeks after Chicago police killed 13 year old Adam Toledo, or months after a global summer of protests over the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Tony McDade,” said Wisconsin Working Families Party organizer Jon Jarmon. “This was never just about consequences or convictions -- it’s about a culture of policing that allows officers to brutalize and murder Black and brown people with impunity. It will not be good enough for the administration to make strides in infrastructure, farming, jobs and the environment while leaving policing unchecked. Our neighborhoods shouldn’t kill us, and neither should our police.”

This story originally reported by Jackson Danbeck on TMJ4.com.

SOMERS, Wisc. (WTMJ) -- Three people are dead and at least three others were injured after a shooting early Sunday morning in southern Wisconsin. Later Sunday afternoon, a suspect was taken into custody.

Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said 'multiple people are dead' after the shooting at the Somers House bar just after midnight early Sunday morning.

He also said it appears the victims were specifically targeted and that the shooting happened after some sort of confrontation at the bar.

Calls into dispatch first came in at about 12:42 a.m. according to Sheriff Beth.

Emergency push notifications were sent to residents cell phones who were near the bar.

This story originally reported by Julia Fello on TMJ4.com.

WHITEFISH BAY, Wisc. — It might seem extreme, but a lot of communities are cutting down healthy-looking trees.

Those trees are the target of a very hungry bug.

Nathan Schuettpelz oversees the emerald ash borer program for Whitefish Bay.

His company triages treats, and removes trees that look like breakfast for a bug born to kill.

TMJ4

"Emerald ash borer, being in the state of Wisconsin, doesn't allow you to choose between keeping or removing your tree. It's gotta go," Schuettpelz said.

Emerald ash borer is an invasive beetle from Asia.

It's been in Wisconsin since 2008 and has been found in 52 of the state’s 72 counties.

The best estimate: 50 million trees killed by these beetles across the Midwest.

While a few of the most healthy ash trees in a community are treated and monitored, most "street trees" are coming down fast.

TMJ4

In Whitefish Bay alone, more than 4,000 ash trees were marked for removal.

In Milwaukee, more than 15,000 properties have ash trees at risk.

The key now is planting trees that are hearty and diverse.

20 different species will replace the 4,000 ash trees in Whitefish Bay.

This is a reason to hope a culling like this never has to happen again.

"Now we're looking at 70 different tree species that are actively growing, diversifying the urban forest. Kind of the village hedging its bets against any potential future pest," Schuettpelz said.

Steve Chamraz at TMJ4 first reported this story.